Thakurgaon is the main agricultural district in the north of the country. The production of all types of crops in this district is very high and their quality is also quite good as compared to other districts. Therefore, this district is called self-sufficient in agriculture. This time there is interest in cotton cultivation among the farmers of this district.
Many non-governmental organizations are coming forward along with the government to meet the demand of cotton in the textile sector. Therefore, cotton seed supply companies are playing a role in the economy of the country along with cotton farmers. Farmers are being encouraged to grow cotton by providing good quality cotton seeds. In the same way, the farmers are happy, as they have benefited twice in the yield and cost of high quality hybrid DM-4 cotton in Thakurgaon district. As the yield and quality of cotton is better than other varieties of cotton, it has become widely popular among farmers.
Among the basic human needs are food, clothing, shelter, medical care and education. From the point of view of civilization, clothing is our first basic need. The use of cotton is indispensable in the manufacture of textiles. Therefore, the demand for cotton is increasing day by day in the world market. In addition, the majority of these cottons are imported from abroad to make clothes in the country. Therefore, a joint initiative of government and private institutions has been taken to produce most of the cotton from Bangladesh. In continuation of this, non-governmental organization Lal Tir Seed Limited has brought advanced hybrid DM-4 cotton seeds to the market. Farmers of Thakurgaon district are benefiting twice by cultivating it.
Earlier people did not have the slightest idea about cotton cultivation in this district. In the last 21-22 fiscal year, cotton cultivation has been done in 426 hectares of land with Ufshi and hybrids and 2 thousand 816 bales of cotton have been produced. The price of which is 18 crores. And in 22-23 financial year cotton cultivation target has been set at 700 hectares of land with current value of around Tk 28-30 crore as per production target. Cotton worth so much will be produced only from this district.
Cotton grower Nuruzzaman (Golap) of Hariharpur village of Sadar Upazila said, "Cotton has been cultivated on 14 bighas of land. 20-25 thousand Tk have been spent on cultivation. 16 mounds have been yielded in one go. The current market value of which is 3 thousand 800 taka. He sold cotton for 60 thousand Tk per bigha of land. In just 6 months, he got 35-40 thousand taka in one bigha of land. Cotton has not yet been fully harvested. There is still a lot of cotton left in the field. He also cultivated sugarcane as a companion crop with cotton.
With the help and advice of the District Cotton Development Board and Red Arrow Seed Company, the farmers of the district cultivated cotton on the abandoned land. Many of the farmers have cultivated sugarcane, banana, and other vegetables as companion crops with cotton. Cotton farmers Arjun Deb Nath and Belal Hossain, Motahar, Maidul said that they are benefiting financially by doing two crops with the care and cost of one crop. They said, after harvesting, they use the cotton plants as organic fertilizer.
Farmers are becoming more interested in cotton cultivation as they are able to cultivate companion crops along with cotton cultivation. Swadesh Chandra Roy, Field Inspector of Thakurgaon Cotton Development Board said that apart from the cotton board, the non-government companies are also advising the farmers in various ways and supplying seeds.
Farmers are happy as the seed germination of DM-4 variety is good and its yield is 16-20 mounds per bigha. Apart from this, the cotton development board buys cotton from the farmers and the price of this crop is also stable and the cotton cultivation in the district will increase in the future as the price of this crop is also stable and the same crop can be grown in the future.
Rangpur Region Cotton Development Board Deputy Director Abu Ilyas Mia said, currently farmers are getting more profit by cultivating different hybrid varieties of cotton. So various companies are coming forward to supply seeds. Also, Courton Connect and TSMS are working with the Cotton Development Board on Primer's initiative to bring the cotton produced in the country to international standards. And these cottons are being purchased by various genres associations and spinning mills and they are giving loans to the farmers for cotton cultivation without profit. By doing this we can provide more benefits to the farmers. So the farmers are now coming forward to grow cotton in the previous cotton cultivation. He also hopes that cotton cultivation will expand more widely in the northern region, especially in Thakurgaon.
According to the Cotton Development Board, cotton is a crop where every part is very important. For example, yarn is obtained from husks, hair from seeds and edible oil. Trees can be used for fuel, paper and hardboard. Most notably, the fertility of the land increases energy. If cotton is cultivated for two consecutive seasons on a land which does not produce any crops, its fertility power increases to such an extent that then all types of crops can be grown easily.
